The House
by pizzaDORK
Summary: R for safety If you follow Highway 10 long enough, you'll find yourself in the small town of Perryville, Arkansas. This is where our story begins. "So how old are you exactly?" "122."
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Don't own _Newsies_. No way. No how.

**A/N:** I started this story to help break my writer's block on The Boy at the Window (sorry to people who are waiting for updates on that).

-ooooo-

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

--'The Road Not Taken,' Robert Frost

-ooooo-

Prologue

If you follow Highway 10 long enough, through Little Rock, over the mountains, and past Harris Brake Lake, you'll find yourself in the small town of Perryville, Arkansas. Within moments of entering the town, you will find what you are looking for: a large white house complimented by a white picket fence, a wrap-around porch, and several large oak trees.

This is where our story begins.

-ooooo-

**A/N:** Sorry that it's so incredibly short. I just wanted to start it off this way and see how people reacted to it. The basis of this story is mixing _Newsies_ with my family's history in Arkansas (i.e. building a massive house at the beginning of the 1900s). Hopefully everyone will enjoy it. Please be kind and review.


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Newsies_ or anything even remotely related to it. I own the characters that you don't recognize from _Newsies_. My grandmother owns The Pasture.

**A/N:** All names relating to my family have been changed. The house name is all that remains.

-ooooo-

"The home is the chief school of human virtues." –William Ellery Channing

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Chapter 1

_In Which We Learn the History of the House_

They call it The Pasture. Most likely because that is what it was built on or possibly because there was already a Bowen House in Perryville. Either way, they called it The Pasture.

It was 1901 when James Henry Bowen decided to build his summer home. He chose the small town of Perryville as his family's escape from their everyday lives in Little Rock. His reason behind choosing Perryville is obvious when one looks back at his family history and notices that his grandfather built the town's courthouse.

For workers, Mr. Bowen hired men from the area. They worked from sunup to sundown, but were paid well. When word spread of the construction, men from all over the state came to work for Mr. Bowen.

This is where our hero steps in.

-ooooo-

**A/N:** Please inflate my ego and review.


	3. Chapter Two

-ooooo-

"Only solitary men know the full joys of friendship. Others have their family; but to a solitary and an exile, his friends are everything." –Willa Cather, _Shadows on the Rock_

-ooooo-

Chapter 2

_In Which We Meet Our Hero_

-New York City, 1900-

"Jack, are you really leaving?" David asked, fear rising in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm leavin'," Jack replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"But you can't leave," David whined.

"I can, and I will," Jack said, nonchalantly.

"This doesn't have anything to do with Sarah, does it?"

"No...well, sorta'..."

"Because she broke up with you?"

"Well, nows 'dat we're not togetha' I can finally go to Santa Fe."

"I'm gonna' miss you, Jack," David said, tearing up slightly.

"I'm gonna' miss ya', too, David," Jack said, clapping him on the back, "But don't worry, I got your address, I'll write."

-ooooo-

The train rolled out of the station at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and Jack Kelly was on it. Practically every newsboy in all of New York City had taken a day off to say goodbye to their fearless strike leader.

Jack sighed and leaned back in his seat, dreaming of the life that lay ahead of him in Santa Fe.

-ooooo-

**A/N: **Reviews are my crack. Let me get high.


	4. Chapter Three

-ooooo-

"Work is a necessary evil to be avoided." –Mark Twain

-ooooo-

Chapter 3

_In Which Our Hero and the House are joined_

"Sorry, boy, but you ain't gonna' find any work 'round here."

Jack had made it as far as the Ozark Mountains in northern Arkansas. He had taken one look at the rolling hills, lush forests, and blue lakes, and decided that if Arkansas was good enough for Scott Joplin, it was good enough for him.

Unfortunately, there were no jobs to be had in the Ozarks and no place to settle.

"If you need a job, I suggest you head down to Little Rock. That's where all the work is," the latest man Jack had questioned about employment was saying.

Soon, Jack found himself hitching a ride on a wagon headed for Perryville. The very wagon from the very store that Mr. Bowen had special ordered a maple banister for his stairway from.

"Son, I hear you're looking for work," Mr. Williams, the man driving the wagon, said to Jack

"Yes, sir, I am."

"Well, it just so happens that I'm delivering this load to a Mr. James Henry Bowen in Perryville. He's building his families summer home down there, and I hear he's givin' away jobs to whoever can take one," Mr. Williams said.

Jack pondered this a while and came to a decision. He could work for Mr. Bowen until his house was complete, then he could finish his trip to Little Rock to find a more permanent job offer.

"Boy, Mr. Williams tells me you'd like to work for me on my house," Mr. Bowen told Jack.

"Yes, sir," Jack replied.

"Well, how old are you, boy?"

"Eighteen, sir."

"Well, that's a good age, boy. And you seem like a strong young man. I'd be glad to have you working on my house."

"Thank you, sir."

"By the way, son, what's your name?"

"Kelly, sir. Jack Kelly."

-ooooo-

**A/N:** Reviews are my crack. Let me get high.


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N:** Many, many thank you's to everyone who reviewed. These last few chapters have been EXTREMELY short (as is this one). But bear with me; the next one is longer. I just needed to divide a few things for the first few chapters instead of putting it all in one chapter. Well...onward...

-ooooo-

"Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real." –Tupac Shakur

-ooooo-

Chapter 4

_In Which We Meet Our Heroine_

-Highway 10, 2004-

Cappi Sellers sped down Highway 10, singing along to the radio. She barely had to pay attention to her driving—she knew the highway like the back of her right leg. In fact, she had a scar running the length of her right calf that resembled it.

Cappi was heading to her grandmother's house in Perryville to spend the summer. She had everything she needed packed into her car, and the air conditioner set on high.

_This summer is going to be good,_ the seventeen year-old told herself as she careened around a corner.


	6. Chapter Five

-ooooo-

"Do not trust your memory; it is a new full of holes; the most beautiful prizes slip through it." –Georges Duhamel, _The Heart's Domain_

-ooooo-

Chapter 5

_In Which Our Heroine and the House are joined_

"Gran! I'm here!" Cappi shouted as she flung open the front door to The Pasture.

"I'm in the kitchen, sweetheart," her grandmother called.

Cappi was standing in the foyer, surveying her surroundings. From where she stood, she could see the living room, the doors to her grandmother's bedroom and office, and the grand flight of steps leading to the upstairs.

She dropped her bags at the foot of the stairs and headed for the kitchen.

"Hi, Gran," she said upon entering the large kitchen at the back of the house.

"Hi, honey," her grandmother replied, wiping her hands on her apron and shuffling over to Cappi to give her a hug.

"What are you baking?" Cappi asked, hugging her grandmother.

"Chocolate chip cookies. How are your parents?"

"They're good. Mom's redecorating the house...again. And dad's busy at work like always."

"Well, why don't you go put your things in your room? Then you can come tell me how your school year was."

Cappi sighed as she heard the resounding thump of her bags hitting the floor of "her bedroom." She stood in the doorway taking everything in. Her eyes flickered past the crème colored walls and powder blue bed. They traveled over the oak dresser and towering armoire. They descended upon the light blue rug and hard-wood floor.

As her eyes scanned the floor, she noticed something odd. There was a spot in the corner of the room in which the floor panels did not line up. Cappi made her way across the room to the oddity and tapped her foot gingerly on the uneven tiles. Her ears were met with a slight hollow sound. She bent over the spot and knocked twice on the tiles. _Definitely hollow_, she thought to herself. Cappi ran her hands over the floorboards until she found a small spot where one board rose above the others. She pressed her fingers at the side of the board and pried. In a matter of moments, she had pulled the board away from the others. Her hands moved on to the next board.

Soon there were three panels missing, creating a small hole in the floor. Cappi reached her hand into the hole and felt around. Her fingers wrapped around a smooth object at the bottom of the opening. She pulled her hand out cautiously, bringing with it a small, leather-bound book.

She reached her hand into the hole once more and discovered another item. Upon pulling it out, she realized that it was a slightly decayed, severely worn, red bandana. She looked at the ragged piece of cloth with mild disgust before tossing it back into the abyss.

As soon as the bandana was disposed of, Cappi turned her attention to the book. There was no title on the cover, but upon opening it, her eyes were greeted with the words "Diary of Elizabeth Marie Bowen, 1901."

Cappi turned to the next page.

_May 8, 1901_

_Dear Diary,_

_A boy came into town today. He was looking for work so Papa hired him to help with the building of the house. His name is Jack Kelly. He's a very interesting character. He's from New York City. Can you imagine that? He says he wanted to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico, but settled for Arkansas. Funny, I would've thought a Yankee would've passed up Arkansas in a heart beat. I guess you can never tell. _

_He's a nice looking boy, Jack is. He has light brown hair and he wears a red bandana around his neck and a cowboy hat. Papa said he's eighteen—just a year older than me._

_Well, Mama's calling me to help her with dinner. Jack is going to be dining with the family. I must find out more about him. I'll let you know when I do._

_Yours Truly,_

_Bess_

Cappi was intrigued with her new discovery. She read the entry again and again. _He wears a red bandana around his neck_.

"This must be Jack's bandana," she whispered, picking up the discarded piece of fabric, "And Elizabeth Marie Bowen...why does that name sound so familiar?"

"Cappi, honey, what's taking you so long?" the girl's grandmother called up the stairs.

"Nothing, Gran, I'm coming."

With that, she placed the bandana and journal on her bed, closed the hole in the floor, and headed down the stairs.

-ooooo-

**A/N:** Please review.


	7. Chapter Six

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

**Dramedy**: Thank you for your review. I wasn't really looking for any more characters. Sorry. But I did manage to give your character a small cameo in this chapter. And she will probably appear again, if that's okay. Thanks again for reviewing.

-ooooo-

"I existed from all eternity, and, behold, I am here; and I shall exist till the end of time, for my being has no end." –Kahlil Gibran, _Anthem of Humanity_

-ooooo-

Chapter 6

_In Which Our Hero and Our Heroine are Joined_

"Gran?" Cappi asked when she reached the kitchen, "What was your mother's name?"

"Elizabeth Marie Bowen. Why?"

"I was just wondering," Cappi replied, sinking into a chair at the kitchen table.

Cappi spent the rest of the evening and the day following sitting in her room reading her great-grandmother's diary. She turned the final page when something fluttered out of the book and onto the floor. She bent over to retrieve the item and noticed that it was a photograph. It was of a young man standing in front of a house—her grandmother's house, she noticed. He looked to be about eighteen, and he was wearing a cowboy hat, bandana, and a large grin. Cappi turned the picture over. On the back the words "Jack, 1901" were scrawled in her great-grandmother's delicate script.

She pushed the photograph into her pocket, promising herself that she would show it to her grandmother. With that, she stepped out of her room and bound down the stairs.

"Cappi, honey," Gran said when she saw Cappi coming down the stairs, "Could you run to the grocery store for me?"

"Sure," Cappi replied, forgetting about the picture in her pocket.

"The list's on the fridge and there's money in my purse," her grandmother told her.

Cappi stood in the check-out line at the grocery store, contemplating what flavor gum to buy.

"Next."

Cappi snapped out of her gum-induced trance at the sound of the cashier's voice. She grabbed the first pack of gum she saw and tossed it onto the check-out counter with the rest of her items.

"Will this be all?" the cashier asked. She was a tall girl at about 6 feet, and she had brown hair that fell to her shoulders. Cappi read her nametag: _Hello. My name is..._she couldn't read the name. It looked like Victoria, but she wasn't quite sure. The handwriting was large and loopy and the name looked as if it had been written quickly without much consideration to its appearance.

"No, this'll be it," Cappi replied, smiling.

The cashier returned her smile as she ran a loaf of bread over the scanner. _$1.48_ flashed on the cash register's small computer screen.

At that moment, a tall, dark-haired boy in jeans and a faded grey t-shirt sauntered into the store. Cappi found herself thinking that this boy was oddly familiar.

"Ugh, he is sooo cute," the cashier said to no one in particular. Then she turned to Cappi, "He must be new in town; I hadn't seen him around here until yesterday when he came in to buy milk."

Cappi just nodded mutely, watching the familiar boy wander to the back of the store.

"That'll be $16.76," the cashier said, once again snapping Cappi out of a trance.

She handed "Victoria" a 20 dollar bill and continued to watch the boy. She then took her change, grabbed her grocery sacks, and left the store, pushing all thoughts of the all too familiar boy out of her head.

Cappi placed the grocery sacks in the backseat of her car. She was just putting on her seatbelt when her grandmother's words entered her head: _"Don't forget the ketchup."_

"Shoot," Cappi cursed, remembering the item.

She climbed from her car and proceeded back into the store. She reached the condiments isle and found the ketchup quickly. As she headed back down the isle, not watching where she was going, she found herself colliding into a large figure and tumbling to the floor.

"Sorry," she heard a male voice say, as a hand was shoved into her face for assistance.

"''s okay," she mumbled in reply, taking the hand that was offered.

When she was on her feet again, she looked into the face of the tree-like figure she had crashed into. It was none other than the familiar boy that she had seen enter the store earlier. She knew she knew him from somewhere, but she just couldn't place him. He had slightly shaggy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. When he turned around and bent over to retrieve her dropped ketchup bottle, Cappi noticed that there was red bandana poking out of one of the back pockets of his jeans.

"Really sorry 'bout that," he said, apologizing again, "I didn't see you there." Then he extended his hand to her and said, "I'm Jack Kelly."

And realization struck her like a bolt of lightning.

-oooooo-

**A/N:** Reviews are always more than welcome.


	8. Chapter Seven

**A/N:** Thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers. Please keep reviewing.

-ooooo-

"In these matters, the only certainty is that nothing is certain." –Pliny the Elder

-ooooo-

Chapter 7

_In Which Our Hero Is Questioned_

_Then he extended his hand to her and said, "I'm Jack Kelly."_

_And realization struck her like a bolt of lightning._

-ooooo-

Cappi just stared at the boy open-mouthed. He seemed to notice the look of shock on her face.

"What's your name?" he said slowly, as if speaking to a small child.

"Y-You're-You're J-Jack Kelly?" she said in bewilderment.

"Yeah," Jack replied casually. He then repeated his previous question, "What's your name?"

"But-but you can't be Jack Kelly. That just doesn't make sense. Unless, of course, your great-grandfather's name was Jack Kelly, and you're his clone...because you look too much like him to just be his great-grandson. Like I said, that just doesn't make sense," she rambled.

Jack was staring at her with great caution, as if she was a wild animal trained to attack without a moment's notice.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked, suspicion ringing in his voice.

"You," Cappi said, "you can't be Jack Kelly."

"And why not," Jack replied, crossing his arms in defiance.

"Because that would make you like...over a hundred years old," she said.

Then she remembered the photograph she had stuck in her pocket earlier. She pulled it out and shoved it in the boy's face.

"That's Jack Kelly...so who are you?"

Jack's face twisted into a look of surprise and anger. He pulled the photo from Cappi's hand and glared at it, cursing under his breath.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, his voice filled with venom.

"It was my great-grandmother's. I found it in her diary, _Jack Kelly_," she replied harshly.

"What's your name?" Jack asked once more.

"Cappi Sellers."

"Well, Cappi, it seems I've got a lot of explaining to do," he said, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her to the front of the store.

"Wait!" she screeched, wrenching her hand from his grasp.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"I just met you, and you're already trying to kidnap me?" she exclaimed.

"I'm not trying to kidnap you," Jack said, putting his arms up as if to say he came in peace, "I just...well, I've got a lot to explain, and I can't really do it in the middle of the grocery store where anybody could overhear."

"Yeah...and?"

"And...look, would you just come with me?" he asked.

"Fine, fine. But we're going to my house where I'll be safe. My mother told me not to get into cars with strangers," she replied.

"Okay," Jack said, and he began leading her out of the store.

By now, Cappi had forgotten her quest for ketchup, and Jack didn't really care about the groceries he had come to buy. They both needed answers.


	9. Chapter Eight

**A/N:** Woohoo! Two chapters in one night! I apologize for any typos in this chapter as I found myself quite rushed (coughmargueritecough). Enjoy.

-ooooo-

"Because I could not stop for Death—

He kindly stopped for me—

The carriage held but just ourselves

And immortality."

--Emily Dickinson, "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"

-ooooo-

Chapter 8

_In Which All Is Revealed_

Jack and Cappi parted ways when they reached the store parking lot. Cappi climbed into her car, and Jack into his red pick-up truck. They had agreed that he would follow her to her house.

-ooooo-

When Jack finally pulled up into the driveway of the large, white house, he sighed. Suddenly memories were flooding into his mind from all directions. Dinners with the Bowen family, working from sun-up to sun-down, days off spent with Elizabeth, telling her his secret—it all presented itself in his mind, and a hollow pain found its way to his heart.

Before he knew what had happened, he was standing in front of the back porch with Cappi looking at him incredulously.

"Well..." she said, starting up the steps to the porch.

But Jack just ignored her. He walked around to the front of the porch and crouched down before it. Cappi watched in mute awe as he stuck his hand beneath the floorboards of the porch and produced a black, tattered, moth-eaten cowboy hat.

"What in the hell is that?" Cappi asked in disbelief.

"My hat," Jack stated simply, plopping the hat onto his head.

Cappi narrowed her eyes at him.

"How did you know that was there?" she asked, "And what do you mean by _your_ hat?"

Jack sighed, "Like I said, I've got a lot of explaining to do."

"Well, get on with it then."

"Maybe we should step inside..." Jack suggested, looking around uncomfortably.

Cappi continued up the porch with Jack at her heels and pushed open the back door. She sat the groceries sacks she had been carrying onto the counter and begin removing their contents and placing them where they belonged.

"Well?" she said, glancing at Jack as she placed the bread in the cabinet.

"My name's Jack Kelly—"

"Yeah, I got that part."

"Will you let me finish?" Jack sighed, "My name's Jack Kelly. I was born in New York City in 1882—"

He stopped abruptly when Cappi dropped the can of peas she had been holding.

"What?! That's impossible!" she cried, picking up the can.

"I know, I know. I probably sound crazy, but it's the truth." Jack said, pushing the cowboy hat off his head so that it hung around his neck, "You see, something happened...I'm honestly not sure what...well, I was in a fight in New York when I was eighteen, right after the newsies' strike, and the guy I was fighting with stabbed me."

Cappi just stared at him slack-jawed. She didn't even bother to question what a "newsie" was.

"So this guy stabs me and leaves me to bleed to death in the street. Of course, stupid me, I had told my friends I wouldn't need help in the fight and left without them, leaving me all alone. Eventually, some old lady finds me. She helps me to her apartment where she mends my wound and makes me drink this weird medicine."

Cappi was still slack-jawed.

"Then she gives me a little vile of the stuff," as he said this, Jack pulled a small vile of a strange-looking, clear liquid from his pocket, "and she tells me that I should give this to my one true love whenever I found her."

Cappi's jaw opened further, and her eyes widened.

"So I took the stuff, thanked the lady, and left. Later on I found out what it really was that she had given me," Jack said, grimacing slightly, "I got into another fight. Only this time, the guy pulled a gun and shot me right here" Jack lifted up his shirt to show a round, bullet-sized scar on his stomach, "but I didn't die. Only a few minutes after I had been shot, the wound closed up. I couldn't believe it. I thought I was just going crazy, but I went back to the lady and told her what had happened. She explained to me that she had given me immortality."

At this, Cappi closed her mouth abruptly and acted if she was going to protest to something, but she didn't.

"She said the potion she had given me would allow me to live forever. I told her I didn't want to live forever, but she said I didn't have a choice. She said I would've died if she hadn't given it to me, but that she gave me the small vile of it so that if I found someone to love, we could live together for all eternity. At this point, I was thinking the old hag was completely off her rocker, but I proved myself wrong. I was up on the roof of the lodging house one night after I had a few too many drinks. Being the bumbling drunk that I am, I stepped right off the edge of the roof. Fell three stories, but didn't get a scratch," at this Jack smiled, but Cappi only opened her mouth several times, giving her the appearance of a fish out of water, "After a while, people started noticing that I wasn't getting any older, so I took off. Decided to fulfill my dream of going to Santa Fe. Didn't quite make it there, though. I found a job here, building this house," he said, waving his arm around at the interior, "After a while, I took off again. Didn't want to, but I had too. People would wonder why I wasn't aging. Ever since then I've been traveling around, moving when people get suspicious. Now I'm back here."

Cappi narrowed her eyes at him for the second time that day.

"Uh-huh, and how do I know that you're not making this up?" she asked.

"See that picture you showed me earlier?" he asked her, pointing towards the pocket of her jeans, "That's one of only two pictures ever taken of me. This is the other one," and he produced a worn, newspaper clipping from his pocket. It read _Newsie Crusade: Children Stop the World_ and displayed a picture of several smiling boys.

"Uh-huh, and how do I know you're not making this up?" Cappi asked again, noticing that the boy in the center of the picture Jack was holding looked identical to the boy in the picture she was holding and the boy standing in front of her.

Jack just sighed and procured a pocketknife from the back pocket of his jeans and flipped the blade out. Cappi watched in horror as he drove the knife into his stomach.

"See?" he said, pulling the blade out again and acting as if nothing had happened.

"Oh my God!" Cappi screeched, grabbing a dishtowel and rushing to his side to stop the bleeding.

But when she inspected the wound, she saw that, to her amazement, it wasn't bleeding and was already started to heal.

"Oh my God," she repeated, only a whisper now.

She ran a finger along the now completely healed flesh.

"So...how old are you exactly?" she asked, her eyes filled with wonder and awe.

"One hundred and twenty-two."

-ooooo-

**A/N:** If you are thinking that this story is now bearing great resemblance to _Tuck Everlasting_ then dingdingding we have a winner. This chapter was inspired by the book/movie (neither of which I own the rights to coughdisclaimercough). Please review.


	10. Chapter Nine

-ooooo-

"None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected opportunity is just around the corner, waiting a few months or a few years to change all the tenor of our lives." –Kathleen Norris, _Hands Full of Living_

-ooooo-

Chapter 9

_In Which Ketchup Changes A Life_

"_So...how old are you exactly?" she asked, her eyes filled with wonder and awe._

"_One hundred and twenty-two."_

-ooooo-

"One hundred and twenty-two? One hundred and twenty-two!" Cappi exclaimed, plopping into a chair at the kitchen table. "This is ridiculous," she continued, "This is ridiculous. This isn't happening. I am loosing my mind. I have lost my mind. This isn't happening," she muttered, burying her face in her hands.

"It is ridiculous, I agree. But it's happening. You're not loosing your mind," Jack said.

Cappi just sighed, "I have to be loosing my mind. There's no other logical explanation."

"Isn't this explanation enough?" Jack questioned, lifting up his shirt and pointing to the now faint scar on his stomach.

Cappi just shook her head.

"Cappi, honey, who's your friend?" Cappi's grandmother asked as she entered the kitchen.

Cappi had completely forgotten she was there.

"This is Jack," she answered hurriedly, "He was just leaving."

And with that, she pushed Jack out the back door and onto the porch. Then she followed him down the steps and through the small carport to his truck.

"Kicking me out so soon?" Jack said, opening the truck door.

Cappi just shook her head and sighed, "How do I explain you to her? She knows the history of this town better than anyone else. She'd figure you out eventually."

"In that case, come by my house tonight," Jack said, "I answered all your questions, now I think you need to answer some of my questions."

"Like what?"

"For starters, where'd you get that picture of me?"

Cappi just sighed again and nodded, "Where are you staying?"

"The old Porter house," Jack answered.

"But that house has been empty for years."

"Exactly," Jack said, grinning, "You know where it is, right?"

"Yeah. I'll see you tonight. What time?"

"Eight o'clock?"

"Okay," Cappi said.

"Well, see you then," Jack smiled and closed his car door.

Cappi watched as he backed up and pulled away from the house. She stared after his truck until it had disappeared around a corner. Then she sighed for a third time, shook her head in disbelief, and headed back inside, only to remember her earlier inability to buy ketchup. With that, she went back out to her car and drove to the grocery store again, thinking of how much one bottle of ketchup can change a person's life.


	11. Chapter Ten

-ooooo-

"Scarlett O'Hara: I only know that I love you.

Rhett Butler: That's your misfortune."

-_Gone with the Wind_

-ooooo-

Chapter 10

_In Which Our Heroine Learns A Little More_

Cappi stood in her room looking at the clock on her bedside table. _7:50_, it read—the numbers glowing an unforgiving crimson.

She left the house quickly. She had simply told her grandmother she was going out. No questions were asked. At least she wouldn't have to lie about her whereabouts. There was no way she could explain to her grandmother that she was going over to the house of one hundred and twenty-two year old boy. She didn't think that would go over so well.

Cappi headed through the large backyard and cut across the field that stood beyond that. From there, it was a short walk to Ridgeway Road, where the house stood looming at the top of the street.

Jack watched her through the front window. She was walking slowly, a flashlight in her hand to guide her through the darkness. He could see that her dark brown hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and she looked fairly tired.

"Hi," he said, opening the door for her when she reached the front steps.

"Hi," Cappi replied, following him inside.

Upon entering the house, her nostrils were immediately filled with the dust that covered the walls, floor, and furniture, and she couldn't contain a cough that forced it way out of her chest.

"How do you live with all this dust?" she asked, coughing again.

"It's not that bad," Jack replied nonchalantly, "I've lived in worse. Sorry about it though. I haven't had time to clean yet."

"I can tell," Cappi said, smiling.

"You look just like her, you know," he said, returning her grin.

"Who?"

"Elizabeth...but everyone called her Bess," he said, smiling at the memory.

"Oh," Cappi replied, "Well, she _was_ my great-grandmother."

"Great-grandmother, eh?" he asked, giving her a side-ways glance, "Has it really been that long? It feels like only yesterday."

Jack was grinning now, and he had dreamy, distant look in his eyes. This was just too much for Cappi to take.

"Listen," she said loudly, pulling Jack out of his daze, "About the picture, you can have it."

She drew it out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"I found it in Bess's diary. She wrote a lot about you," Cappi continued.

-ooooo-

_Dear Diary,_

_Jack kissed me today! I know I shouldn't have let him. (What would mama say?) But I did. And I'm glad. He's a very sweet boy. We were sitting in the field behind the house while he was on a break, talking about nothing in particular when he just leaned over and kissed me. Just like that. He's quite a good kisser, Jack is. And I've really enjoyed getting to know him these last few weeks. I'll be sad to see the house completed. He says he's going to Little Rock when he's done here. I would be happy about this, as I should be able to say that I live in Little Rock, but I can't say that as Papa has decided we should move here to get more use out of this house. Papa absolutely adores this house. I think he may love it more than he loves me. (I hope not!) But Jack will just be forty miles away. Oh, I really like him! He's very handsome and quite the gentlemen. I hope he kisses me again!_

_Yours Truly,_

_Bess_

-ooooo-

"She certainly did like you," Cappi sighed, "That was her last entry."

She had just finished reading Bess's diary aloud to Jack, who had sat in stunned silence the entire time.

He shook his head, "We finished the house a few days later. I left the day it was done."

"Why'd you leave?" Cappi asked.

She was sitting on the dusty couch, her legs tucked under her, the diary lying open in her lap. Jack was seated on the floor just below her.

"I had to. I told Bess about my...er...inability to die," Jack said, "I told her I loved her and offered her immortality. Figured she'd take it and we'd be together forever. She told me I was crazy, said she didn't want to be sixteen forever, said she had her whole life ahead of her," Jack sighed, "Made me pose for a picture in front of the house though. Second picture ever taken of me, but I already told you that, didn't I? Oh well, what's in the past is in the past, right?"

"Er...right," Cappi agreed.

"Right," Jack repeated, "Well, it's almost eleven, you probably need to be getting home."

Cappi stood up and allowed Jack to walk her to the door.

"Do you want to do something tomorrow?" Jack asked. "You could show me around town, update me on what's happened in the last hundred years," he said, smiling.

"Sure. I'll be here at ten o'clock tomorrow morning," Cappi replied, returning his smile.

"Well, goodbye," he said, opening the door for her.

"Goodbye."

And before she knew it, Cappi was snuggled safely in her bed at home, trying to convince herself once again that she was, in fact, completely sane and that things like this happened all the time.

**A/N:** Please review!!! (And thanks to those who already have. Please tell me what you think of these last few chapters.)


	12. Chapter Eleven

**A/N:** I can feel the Mary-Sue-ness lurking out there...((cowers in fear)). ((sighs)) Well, hopefully I can somewhat avoid it. Enjoy chapter 11.

-ooooo-

"For some life lasts a short while, but the memories it holds last forever." –Laura Swenson

-ooooo-

Chapter 11

_In Which Memories and Alcohol Don't Mix_

"_Come on, Bess," Jack whined, "Don't you want to be with me?"_

_Bess paused for a moment._

"_Er...well...yes, yes, I do want to be with you," she said, "but, Jack, forever?"_

"_Forever," he said resolutely._

"_Forever is such a long time though, Jack."_

"_Yes, but we'll be together. Isn't that all that matters, Bess?"_

"_No, no it isn't all that matters."_

"_But I love you."_

"_I love you, too, Jack," Bess said, "But, well, I don't want to be sixteen forever. I want to grow up and get married and have children. I want to grow old with someone, Jack. You can't offer me that."_

"_But..." He was at a loss for words._

"_I'm sorry, Jack. I really am. But I can't do it. I can't give up everything for you, Jack."_

_She left him standing there in the filed behind the house—the wind whipping his face softly, drying his tears before they left his eyes._

-ooooo-

Jack lay awake on the living room couch. He hadn't cried in so long, but as the memories pushed their way to the front of his mind, he found himself unable to control his emotions. In a drunken rage, he jumped up, kicked over the coffee table, and knocked the bookshelf to the floor, causing a loud bang that only made him madder. He then threw himself back onto the couch, burying his face in the dusty pillows.

That's how Cappi found him the next morning.

-ooooo-

**A/N:** OMG! I have 15 reviews so far. ((happy dance)) That's the most reviews I've ever gotten. ((sigh)) Please keep up the good work, my loyal reviewers. I love you all!!!


	13. Chapter Twelve

**A/N:** Yeah, I update a lot if you hadn't already noticed. I try to write at least one or two chapters a night and get them posted. Hopefully I can keep this going. Well, I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter. I think it's just one of those things you have to get through to keep the story going. Yeah, that must be it. ((sigh)) Well, on with it...

-ooooo-

"Death is the only inescapable, unavoidable, sure thing. We are sentenced to die the day we're born." –Gary Mark Gilmore

-ooooo-

Chapter 12

_In Which Death Is Inevitable_

"Jack?" Cappi called, knocking on the front door of the old Porter house.

"Jack?" she called again. No answer.

She had already knocked several times and was starting to get rather aggravated with Jack's lack of answer.

"This is stupid," she sighed.

She turned to leave when she heard a loud groan come from inside the house.

"Jack?" Cappi called once more.

"It's open," she heard him mumble.

She grasped the doorknob and pushed the rickety door open. She was greeted, upon entering the house, by the sight of Jack lying face-down on the sofa. There were beer bottles strewn all over the room and a bookshelf had been knocked over, leaving books scattered across the floor. Also, sometime during the night, Jack had stripped off his t-shirt and jeans, leaving him clad in nothing but a pair of dark green boxers.

"Well, this is lovely," Cappi muttered to herself.

She closed the door and crossed the room. She stood over Jack with her arms cross, tapping her foot loudly.

Jack looked up from his pillow and smiled at her sheepishly.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous," she said, pushing Jack out of her way, eliciting a groan from him, and plopping next to him on the couch.

He smiled at her again and placed his head in her lap.

"Ugh," she said again, "How much did you drink?"

Jack just shrugged. "Not much," he lied, but the empty bottles were quick to give him away.

"How old are you again?" Cappi asked sarcastically, pushing the hair out of his eyes.

"Eighteen," he replied, grinning.

Then, without warning, he leaned up and captured her lips in a rough kiss.

"Jack!" Cappi shrieked, pushing him away, "What the hell was that?"

He just shrugged again and put his head back into her lap.

"God, Jack, what am I going to do with you?" she asked, stroking his hair gently.

He shrugged once more and snuggled closer to her.

"Come on," Cappi said after a few minutes, "You take a shower, and I'll fix you some coffee."

"I don't have a coffee machine," he said, standing up.

"Well, then I'll go get you some," she replied, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

-ooooo-

An hour later, Jack was fairly sober, dressed, and sitting in Cappi's car ready to go.

She drove him down Main Street, giving him as much of an overview of the last one hundred years as she could, with Jack stopping her every now and then to ask questions. He was constantly adding his own memories of places to her stories about how they had changed since 1901.

At noon, they stopped for lunch at a small restaurant in the center of town. And afterwards, Jack had Cappi drive him out of the heart of town, down the winding country roads to the cemetery.

"I don't see why you wanted to come here," Cappi said, slamming her car door impatiently.

"Where's your family's plot?" Jack asked, ignoring her agitated tone and heading to the cemetery gates.

"This way," Cappi said, moving in front of him.

She led him through the front gates and to the left. After a short walk, she stopped in front of a fenced in plot, opened the gate, and entered.

"Here it is," she said, glancing around nervously.

Cappi didn't like cemeteries—never had, never would. They held an air of mystery and intrigue she didn't care to investigate. And the foreboding since of doom that lingered there always seemed to cling to her clothes and follow her home.

Jack read each tombstone carefully before he found what he was looking for. He knelt in front of the grave. Cappi watched cautiously. Only when she noticed the name on the tombstone in front of Jack did she know why they had come.

_Elizabeth Marie Thatcher_

_7 September 1884 – 21 March 1952_

"_Perhaps even these things, one day, will be pleasing to remember." –Virgil, Aenid_

After a long while of just sitting and staring, Jack stood and headed for the gate.

"Are you okay?" Cappi asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said.

"Are you sure?" she questioned.

Jack nodded, "She was happy, right? I mean, she got everything she wanted, right? A husband? Kids? Death?" When he spoke the word death, his voice rang with venom.

"Seems that way," Cappi said, "But Jack, listen, there are other girls out there. I mean, come on, there are lots of people who would give their right arm for immortality. Why don't you fall in love with one of them?"

He stopped dead in his tracks and reeled around to face her.

"It's not that easy," he said through gritted teeth.

"Well, it can't be that hard, can it?" Cappi asked, "I mean, millions of people fall in love every day. Why can't you?"

"Me? Me! Fall in love? Are you mad? I'm not going through that again. Besides, you can't just choose to fall in love. You can't choose anything in life."

"Sure you can," Cappi said, "I mean, look at you. Think of all the things you can do with your life. You've got eternity."

"It's not that easy," Jack said again.

"Well, why the hell not?" she asked, raising her voice slightly.

"Because death is inevitable. No matter who you are," he whispered.

Cappi just sighed. By now they were at the car, and she felt it would be best if she didn't push the matter any farther.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

-ooooo-

"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." –Ingrid Bergman

-ooooo-

Chapter 13

_In Which Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness and Death Is Still Inevitable_

Jack and Cappi spent the rest of the day together, just driving around. When darkness finally began to settle in on the small town, they headed back to the old Porter House.

"God, Jack, how do you live in all this filth?" Cappi asked, kicking up dust as she entered the house.

Jack just shrugged, "It doesn't matter. I won't be here long."

"It does, too, matter. All this dust can make you sick," she said in a motherly tone.

"It doesn't matter," he repeated, "I won't be here long."

"Well, how long do you plan on staying."

He shrugged again, "I don't know."

"Well, how long have you stayed everywhere else?"

"Anywhere from six months to a year. By then it's usually time to move on."

"You can't live like this for six months," Cappi told him, "Tomorrow we'll work on cleaning this place up."

"Fine," Jack griped, "Have it your way."

"Oh, I will," she replied, mocking his usual grin.

-ooooo-

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," Cappi said, poking Jack in the ribs.

It was seven o'clock in the morning, and she was standing in the living room of the old Porter House. Jack was asleep on the couch, snoring lightly.

She poked him again, and his eyes flew open. He glanced up at her and then closed them again.

"Damn, woman," he muttered, "don't you know what time it is?"

"You know," she said, ignoring his comment, "you really should consider locking the door at night. I mean, someone could break in."

"Who would want to break into this place?" Jack asked, opening one eye to look at her.

"Well, obviously me," she replied.

Jack chuckled softly and closed his eye again.

"Uh-uh. You're getting up, mister," Cappi said, pushing him off the couch.

He landed on the floor with a loud thump and groaned.

"Damn, woman, don't you know what time it is?" he muttered again.

"Do you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Jack just shook his head and pulled himself off the floor.

"Get dressed. We've got work to do," Cappi told him.

-ooooo-

By noon, the pair had made a small dent in the dirt and grime that covered the living room.

Cappi stood and wiped her hand across her brow.

"Well," she said, "I think it's time for a break."

"Thank the Lord," Jack muttered.

"Why don't we head down to my house, and I'll make us some lunch," Cappi said.

"Okay," Jack agreed.

-ooooo-

Lunch was uneventful. The duo just sat around eating and talking about music, movies, and all the places Jack had been (Santa Fe, California, New York, Canada, Paris, London, etc.). And by nightfall, the living room and kitchen of the old Porter House were spotless and shining. Cappi decided that they would move onto the bedroom and bathroom the next day.

-ooooo-

"Jack?" Cappi asked.

They were lying in the field behind her house, gazing up at the stars, talking about nothing in particular.

"Uh-huh?" he asked, yawning.

"What did you mean when you said 'death is inevitable no matter who you are?'" she asked, looking up at him.

He took a deep, shuddering breath and spoke softly, "When you love someone and they don't love you back, a part of you dies. And after a while you find someone else and the dead part doesn't really matter anymore. It's there, but you don't notice it as much. Well, some people can't find anyone else, and the dead part just keeps getting bigger and bigger. And there's no one that can make it better so eventually they just kind of...die. I mean, they don't physically die. But the dead part of their heart sort of takes over and...kills their soul. They become this...just this...thing—a soulless, heartless, barely living thing."

Cappi just furrowed her brow at his speech and nodded curtly.

"Jack?" she asked again after several moments of silence had passed.

"Uh-huh?" he questioned, sleepily.

"Why did you kiss me yesterday?"

Jack paused for a moment as if in thought and then replied slowly, "I guess...well, I guess you just reminded me so much of Bess. I mean, I don't know. I like you, Cappi. I do, but—"

"Jack."

"What?"

"Shut up," Cappi said, and she leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips.

Much to her surprise, he didn't pull away at first, but responded with equal tenderness. Though after a few moments, he seemed to come to his senses and pushed her away.

"Jack," Cappi pleaded.

"Don't," he said, brusquely.

"Don't what, Jack? Don't love you?" she asked, her voice beginning to shake with tears.

"Don't," he said again, unable to look her in the eyes.

"Jack," she pleaded.

He turned away from her.

"Jack?"

"God damn it, Jack," she said, stepping in front of him, "Don't do this to me?"

"Do what?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Act like you care. Open your heart to me. Kiss me like you mean it."

"I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"I didn't."

"Did."

"Didn't."

"God, Jack, we're arguing like five year olds," Cappi exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air in mock defeat.

"I didn't," he whispered, defiantly.

"Jack?"

"What?"

"Shut up," she said, and for the second time that night, she leaned forward and kissed him.

Only this time, he responded with a more fervent need, pressing his lips to hers roughly.

"Cappi," he said, pulling away for air.

"What?" she asked, gasping for breath.

"Thank you," he said softly, returning his lips to hers.

-ooooo-

**A/N:** Ack! So fluffy!!! ((sigh)) I can't help it...the fluffy pink llamas have invaded my brain and won't leave until I surrender to them. ((sigh)) Review for the sake of the llamas.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N:** Sorry for the lack of updates for the past few days. I've been rather busy and had a mild case of writer's block. But never fear, here is the next chapter. Drum roll please...

-ooooo-

"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it's what you are expected to give—which is everything."

-Anonymous

-ooooo-

Chapter 14

_In Which Church Is Not Just A Time to Pray_

"Finished," Cappi sighed, tossing her used dust rag into the trash can.

"Thank God," Jack said as he threw himself onto the bed.

The pair had spent the entire day cleaning the old Porter House. It was seven o'clock before they finished. They had only stopped for meals and were not exhausted.

"So," Jack said, pulling Cappi onto the bed next to him, "What are we doing tomorrow?"

"I don't know about you," Cappi replied, "But I'm going to church."

"Why?" Jack asked, casting her a sideways glance.

"Because tomorrow is Sunday," she said.

"Oh," Jack said, slowly, "Well...I'll come with you."

"My grandmother will be there."

"So?"

"So that would just be awkward."

"Fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted," Jack said, grinning and nuzzling Cappi's neck.

"Hm," Cappi mumbled in reply, taking Jack's right hand in her own and kissing his palm.

-ooooo-

Church was due to begin in two minutes when Cappi felt someone slide into the pew next to her. She turned to her left and saw none other than Jack Kelly grinning madly at her.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered through gritted teeth, casting a glance at her grandmother who was seated with the choir.

"I came to hear the Glory of God," Jack said, still grinning like a madman.

Cappi just rolled her eyes and scooted away from him, only to have him follow her down the pew.

"Stop that!" she hissed, moving away from him again.

"Stop what?" Jack asked, innocently, as he moved after her.

"That!" she replied, moving once more.

"Never," Jack laughed, moving next to her and taking her hand in his.

Cappi just sighed and rolled her eyes again.

-ooooo-

"So, what's on the agenda for the rest of the day?" Jack asked Cappi as he walked her to her car after church.

"Why don't you come by my house after lunch and find out?" she replied, smiling.

"What about your grandmother?" he asked.

"She's going to Little Rock to visit her sister. She won't be back till tomorrow," Cappi said, mocking Jack's usual grin.

"Well, in that case..." he whispered, leaning over and kissing her lightly, "...I'll see you then."

-ooooo-

"So, what do you wanna' do?" Cappi asked.

She and Jack had already watched two movies and about an hour of television. They were both bored out of their minds.

"Hm...I can only think of one thing," Jack replied, kissing her roughly and edging his hand under her shirt.

"I know," Cappi said, breaking the kiss and smacking his hand away, "But we're not gonna' do that."

"Well, in that case..." he said, standing up.

"Get back here," she laughed, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him back onto the couch.

Jack laughed and captured her lips in a kiss. When they finally pulled away from each other, Jack leaned his forehead onto Cappi's.

"I love you, Cappi Sellers," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Jack Kelly," she replied, smiling.

"How much?" he asked, grinning mischievously and edging his hand back up her shirt.

She slapped it away again, "Not that much!"

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, grinning innocently.

"Yes!" she replied, laughing, and kissed him tenderly on the lips, "But I do love you."

"Do you know how long it's been since I've heard that?"

Cappi thought for a moment, "103 years?"

"Yes," Jack said, laughing.

Their lips met quickly. Jack ran his tongue along Cappi's bottom lip, begging entrance. She complied, and their tongues danced roughly. Cappi moaned as Jack's hands roamed her breasts. His thumb flittered across her right nipple, and she pushed him away.

"No," she said breathlessly, "No, Jack, no. We shouldn't."

"I know. I know," he groaned, "But..."

Cappi sighed, "Come On, we should probably get something for dinner."

-ooooo-


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**A/N:** Ack! Sorry for the long lack of updates. I apologize, but school and social activities and what-have-you have been quite hectic and time consuming. I know, I know, excuses, excuses. Well, I've increased the rating on this story to R for safety. I'm really not sure where I'm going on this, but you'll probably get an idea of it from this chapter. If you are offended by anything in the least bit sexual, then I advise you to read with caution. You have been warned.

-ooooo-

"Choice of attention—to pay attention to _this_ and ignore _that_—is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. In both cases, a man is responsible for his choice and must accept the consequences, whatever they may be." –W. H. Auden, _A Certain World_

-ooooo-

Chapter 15

_In Which a Grandmother Can't Be Ignored_

The days quickly evaporated into weeks and the weeks neared a month's time. It was mid- July, and Cappi's birthday was in two weeks.

"So what do you want for your birthday?" Jack asked one evening.

He was sitting on the sofa in his living room; Cappi was stretched out next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know," she replied, "You don't have to get me anything."

"Yes, I do," he said.

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don—" She began, but was quickly cut off by Jack's lips covering her own.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and flipped her onto her back. His lips never left hers as he straddled her hips. Cappi's hands moved to the sides of Jack's red t-shirt and she pulled it upward. Their lips lost contact as Jack helped her yank the shirt over his head. He replaced his lips and moved his hands to the buttons on her blouse as her hands traced patterns on his chest. Jack pushed her blouse away when it was unbuttoned, revealing her rotund, bra-covered breasts. He kissed his way down her face to her chin. His lips left marks along her collarbone and neck as they proceeded to her breasts. Just as Jack reached around Cappi's back to unhook her bra, a phone rang.

"Damn it," Cappi cursed, pushing Jack away and pulling her shirt closed, "That's my cell phone."

"Ignore it," Jack said, grasping at the back of her shirt in a fruitless attempt to pull her back onto the couch.

"I can't," she hissed, retrieving her phone from her purse and looking at the caller I.D., "It's my grandmother."

She was silent for a few moments, then she spoke, "All right...yes ma'am...I'll be home in just a minute."

"I've got to go," she said, turning to Jack, her lips sagging into a frown.

"All right," he replied, standing up.

He kissed her lightly as she re-buttoned her shirt, "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay," she replied.

-ooooo-

"Jack," Cappi was saying one afternoon, "My grandmother's going away for a few days. She's leaving the day after my birthday."

Cappi's birthday was in three days.

Jack just nodded.

They were lying in the field behind The Pasture—the sun beaming down bright and heavy upon them; its rays blinding them.

"I was wondering if you could stay with me while she's gone," Cappi continued, "I don't want to be alone."

Jack nodded again.

Cappi gave him a sideways look and knew not to say any more. He was thinking. She could only guess what about.

-ooooo-

**A/N:** Sorry for the shortness. But like I said, I have no idea where I'm going with this. I'm just happy to get it updated. Please review.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

-ooooo-

"There is still no cure for the common birthday." –John Glenn

-ooooo-

Chapter 16

_In Which Our Heroine Grows A Year Older_

It was three o'clock in the morning, and Cappi couldn't sleep.

_One day until my birthday_, she thought to herself.

She was sitting in her bed, looking out the window. She could see the mountains in the distance, a faint outline against the pale gray sky. The moon was hovering above them, looking as if it would drop from the sky at any moment and come to rest on the treetops just outside Cappi's window. She could also see the old Porter House. It dominated the hill at the top of Ridgeway Road and looked unforgiving and cold in the darkness. There were no lights on in the house.

For some reason, though she wasn't really sure what the reason was, Cappi reached over and flicked her lamp on and off three times, as if calling to someone in the darkness beyond her window. To her surprise, she was greeted with three flickers of light in the distance. A second story window in the old Porter house had answered her call.

-ooooo-

The day passed quickly and fell into night. Darkness enveloped Cappi's room as she again lay awake in bed. She watched as her clock ticked away the minutes, counting down the seconds to her birthday.

"Happy birthday, Cappi," she whispered into the darkness as twelve o'clock flashed across the clock.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"What in hell?" Cappi asked herself, sitting up in bed.

There was a light tapping noise coming front outside her window. She turned on the lamp on her bedside table and crept to the window. She looked out, but didn't see anything. Cappi turned around to get in bed, but the tapping began again before she could even take a step. She turned back to the window, unlocked it, and pushed it open. She stuck her head outside and looked around. There was a figure sitting on the porch roof that reached out from beneath the window. the figure was crouched low to the roof, just within the circle of light spilling from the window. It had a cowboy hat pulled low over its eyes.

"Jack?" Cappi asked, squinting at the darkness.

The figure moved forward, and Jack's face was removed from the shadows.

"Jack, what the hell are you doing out there?" Cappi asked.

She moved away from the window, allowing Jack room to climb through. He stumbled through the window and landed softly on the floor, crouched on his haunches. He then straightened up and stared at the girl in front of him. She was wearing nothing but a tight-fitting tank top and matching underwear. When she noticed his wandering eyes and her state of undress, she blushed, pulled the quilt off of her bed, and wrapped it around her body.

"Stop staring, Kelly," she said, punching Jack lightly on the arm.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it," he replied. His usual grin plastered across his face.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked.

"I just wanted to be the first to wish you a happy birthday," he said, his grin never faltering.

"You climbed up my back porch and into my window in the middle of the night, scaring the shit out of me, I might add, just so that you could be the first person to tell me happy birthday?" she asked incredulously.

Jack nodded. Cappi opened her mouth to say more, but she was cut off by Jack's lips covering her own.

She pulled away and smiled, "Thank you. You're crazy, but thank you."

"Oh, that's not all. These are for you," he said, grinning and thrusting an eclectic bouquet of flowers into her hands.

Cappi stared at the bouquet for a moment before speaking.

"Are these from my grandmother's garden?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jack replied, "Sorry. Gifts are expensive."

"I love you, Jack Kelly," Cappi said, smiling and pulling him in for a kiss.

"I love you more," he replied.

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"I love you times infinity."

"Well, I love you times infinity and one."

"That's not possible."

"So?"

"So it's not possible. You can't argue something that isn't possible."

"Cappi?"

"What?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

"Okay."

-ooooo-

**A/N:** ((sigh)) I fear the fluffy pink llamas have returned. Maybe I'll write something dark soon to cure myself of this fluffiness. ((shrugs)) Who knows? Please review.


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